Download The Cold War World and Beyond The Cold War, as you know, pitted

The Cold War World and Beyond
The Cold War, as you know, pitted the superpowers that emerged from World War II –
the United States and Soviet Union. The were allies in the fight to defeat Hitler, but as soon as
Nazi Germany was defeated, their opposing political philosophies – democracy and a free-market
economy on the one hand (U.S.), and communism and a command economy on the other (USSR)
– ensured they would square off on the world stage. They did so for nearly a half century, and the
bipolar world they created greatly shaped world events everywhere until the fall of the Soviet
Empire in 1991.
They fought a “cold war” in that their militaries did not face one another directly, but the
conflict did heat up frequently. The wars in Korea (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1957-1973) were
fought over the issue of communism spreading from north to south and beyond. The U.S. pursued
a policy of containment, which was predicated on the “domino theory” first articulated by U.S.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Cuban Missile Crisis proved to be the most critical
flashpoint, bringing the world to the brink of all-out nuclear war in October 1962.
As you read and think about the Cold War, as well as the influence and gradual decline of
communism through the remainder of the 20th century, pay particular attention to how the
superpowers interacted with smaller nations around the world. What tactics did they employ to
bring their competing worldviews to bear on the nations of the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin
America?
Analysis Questions
1.
What were the factors that led to the success of the Marshall Plan? Could such
massive economic aid work equally well in other places and other times? Why or
why not?
2.
Compare and contrast the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars, including the causes,
the course of events, and the results, with particular emphasis upon the policies
and assumptions of the United States and the Soviet Union.
3.
What were the most important factors that helped to bring about détente between
the superpowers? Were the personalities of leaders as important as events to the
creation of détente? And did détente prove to be the beginning of the end of the
Cold War … or did subsequent policies of U.S. and Soviet leaders play an even
greater role? Why or why not?
4.
Consider what you know about world history and the persistence of highly
destructive wars between peoples and their respective military technologies at the
time. Why is it that the Cold War, in which both sides were armed to the hilt with
nuclear weapons, turned out the way it did – without either side using their
ultimate weapons?
5.
The U.S. and Soviet Union tried to influence the affairs of lesser countries in their
worldwide confrontation of worldviews, but in what sense did the superpowers
find themselves being the proverbial dog getting wagged by the tail?
6.
Why has communism survived in China but not in Eastern Europe and Russia,
and what impact has it had on Chinese life and culture?
Identifications
1.
United Nations –
2.
Iron Curtain –
3.
containment –
4.
Truman Doctrine –
5.
Marshall Plan –
6.
Berlin Airlift –
7.
NATO –
8.
Warsaw Pact –
9.
nuclear arms race and brinkmanship –
10.
Sino-Soviet split –
11.
space race –
12.
U-2 incident –
13.
Chinese communists vs. nationalists –
14.
38th parallel –
15.
domino theory –
16.
Korean conflict –
17.
Vietnam conflict –
18.
nonaligned nations –
19.
Cold War strategies:
 foreign aid –

espionage –

multinational alliances –

surrogate wars –

propaganda –
20.
Cuban Missile Crisis –
21.
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan –
22.
détente –
23.
SALT –
24.
Mikhail Gorbachev –
25.
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) –
The Cold War’s Effects Around the World
Asia
Africa
Latin America
The Middle East